On Friday, I observed Mr. Bruneau's Biology class. I arrived a couple minutes into the class period, and students were already at their desks taking a quiz. Mr. Bruneau explained to me that the school requires teachers to submit attendance during the first twenty minutes of class. He also mentioned that this particular day is not a typical example of how classes are run because of the assessment. Students asked Mr. Bruneau questions during the quiz and Mr. Bruneau allowed students as much time as they needed before collecting their work and going over the quiz as a class. After the quiz was reviewed, Mr. Bruneau instructed students to finish researching their global system (water, nitrogen, carbon, etc.) and prepare for presentations. He explained that because the quiz took longer to complete than expected, student presentations would be pushed back to make up for less time in groups that day. The class did not have a formal, normal close because the bell rang while students we're working in groups.
Class on Friday was not an optimal time to observe typical techniques that Mr. Bruneau normally implements. Attendance is a mandatory component of opening class. I will probably need to include a similar policy in a school I teach in. When students completed their quizzes, Mr. Bruneau asked them to answer the quiz questions out loud. What is the instructional benefit to reviewing answers just after taking the quiz?
The class had also already started group projects. Each student had a task to complete and an understanding of what the finished product should look like. Mr. Bruneau informed the class that they should be pulling pieces of information together to form a coherent presentation for the class. He made students aware that they may need to take time outside of school to complete their parts. It is important to keep my students informed of their responsibilities and my expectations at all times. Next visit, I will observe for more obvious routines.
Class on Friday was not an optimal time to observe typical techniques that Mr. Bruneau normally implements. Attendance is a mandatory component of opening class. I will probably need to include a similar policy in a school I teach in. When students completed their quizzes, Mr. Bruneau asked them to answer the quiz questions out loud. What is the instructional benefit to reviewing answers just after taking the quiz?
The class had also already started group projects. Each student had a task to complete and an understanding of what the finished product should look like. Mr. Bruneau informed the class that they should be pulling pieces of information together to form a coherent presentation for the class. He made students aware that they may need to take time outside of school to complete their parts. It is important to keep my students informed of their responsibilities and my expectations at all times. Next visit, I will observe for more obvious routines.